Obituary: Lonnie G. Carr, Sr.

Obituary was published and funeral arrangements were entrusted to the care and direction of the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home and Crematory.

Lonnie G. Carr, Sr.

Lonnie G. Carr passed away peacefully on May 20th, 2025, surrounded by his loving family. He lived his life in the same quiet, humble way, with dignity, strength, and the unwavering love of his wife by his side.

Born in McLeansboro, Illinois, in the home his father built and raised in Coal City and Palos Heights, Lonnie was the youngest of five children born to Burris and Estella Carr. He grew up alongside his siblings, Charles, Patricia, Kenny, and Harold, in a home filled with music, sawdust, laughter, and the scent of his mother’s rose garden. Their family’s bond was forged in love and resilience. His parents married in 1926, at the tender ages of 19 and 15, and remained together for 75 years, a legacy of devotion that Lonnie carried into his own extraordinary love story.

As a boy, Lonnie worked as a golf caddy at a local country club. Every chance he got, he’d sneak onto the course to play a quick round after hours, falling in love with the game. He practiced obsessively, developing a near-surgical short game and a swing that never lost its edge. He got so good that he once shot a staggering 69, a score his son Ricky will proudly spend the rest of his life trying to beat.

As a young man, Lonnie was fearless and full of fire. He raced stock cars at the Blue Island Speedway and cruised the town in his beloved “Red Dragon,” a roaring 1970s Plymouth. He cruised the open roads on motorcycles, zipped across snowy fields on snowmobiles, and turned wrenches on engines just for the joy of making something run better. His youth was equal parts grit, adventure, and mischief, always with a twinkle in his eye.

He began his own family with his first wife, Kathleen Prince, and together they had two children, Lori and Lonnie Jr. After Kathleen’s heartbreaking passing in 1973, Lonnie’s life took a new turn when he met Kelley, a bright, strong, beautiful woman working at a local diner. On one of their first dates, they went to see the movie Jaws at a drive-in theater (which was so scary it almost cost him any future dates with Kelley). Lonnie knew she was the one. They married on December 20, 1975, and spent the next 49 years never leaving each other’s side.

Theirs was the kind of love most people only read about, built on respect, humor, tenderness, and absolute devotion. Kelley affectionately called him “Carr Carr” for nearly five decades. She cared for him in every moment, and he did the same for her. In his final breath, it was her voice that steadied him. Her last words to the love of her life were, “Carr Carr, snap out of it.” He looked into her eyes and gently slipped into his next chapter.

Lonnie spent his career as a business owner of Leoni Construction and passed on his knowledge with Walsh Construction in Chicago. Lonnie followed in the footsteps of his beloved father, Burris, who was one of the first-ever employees of Walsh Construction and a proud union carpenter. Lonnie carried that torch with pride, spending his life building the bridges and skyscrapers that now define Chicago’s skyline. His last project before retirement was the iconic Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower near Millennium Park — a lasting tribute to the craft he loved.

Lonnie was a proud member of Local Carpenters' Union 10 for an incredible 62 years. His father Burris held membership for 69 years, and Lonnie's son, Lonnie Jr. has continued that tradition as a member for 27 years, totaling over 150 years and counting of Carr family membership in the Illinois Carpenters Union. Their hands quite literally helped shape the city, one beam, one blueprint, and one brick at a time.

But his greatest creation wasn’t made of steel or concrete. It was the life he built with Kelley, a home in Camelot he constructed brick by brick, filled with kids on snowmobiles, friends on motorcycles, dogs barking at the door, and laughter echoing from every room.

Lonnie was a loving and devoted father to Lori (Mick), Lonnie Jr. (Vivian), Tony (Angie), and Ricky (Katy). He was a proud grandfather to Sam (Bruno), Rachel (Andrew), Ryan (who preceded him in death), Kaelie, and Presley. He was a great-grandfather to Sawyer and Benicio; they’ll grow up hearing the stories that made him legendary.

He loved animals, especially his Jack Russell terriers. He loved his birds, his house, and the peace of a long RV trip with Kelley. He loved Las Vegas, golf course sunsets, and visits to see Ricky and Katy in California. He was a man who could sit quietly for hours or light up a room with a one-liner or beat a family member at bean bags in the backyard. He was humble, loyal, funny, and wise.

To those who knew him, Lonnie was the greatest carpenter they’d ever met. But ask him, and he’d say his son Lonnie Jr. is the best. His legacy lives in the structures he built, but even more so in the strength and goodness he passed down to his family.

He left this world just as he lived in it, with quiet pride, deep love, and his signature bucket hat on. He joins his parents, Burris and Estella, his siblings, his first wife Kathleen, and his grandson Ryan, where he is surely restoring something beautiful, watching over all of us, and reminding us, “Put your boots on one at a time and go to work.”

We love you, Dad. You built more than a life — you built us. And you built us strong.

As it was Lonnie's wish, cremation rites will be accorded and his services will be held privately.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Lonnies name to The CARRpenters Fund, a memorial apprenticeship grant that will help young men and women pursue careers in carpentry, or to https://www.willcountyhumane.com/donate/memorial, for his love of dogs.

For more information please call (815) 741-5500 or visit his Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com where you can share a favorite memory or leave a condolence.

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